Waiting for Will

Literotic asexstories – Waiting for Will by warrysan,warrysan
“Come on kid, show me what you got.”

Another day at the park, and another disbeliever to prove something to. Will thought that by now people would quit acting so surprised, but every time he beat one of them they still looked at him in awe, as if they doubted what they had seen was possible.

As always, once he set foot on the court all the kids would crowd around to watch. Today, his opponent was Anthony, a backup guard on the local community college team. Will knew he wouldn’t have any problems with him. He was only giving up a few inches and maybe twenty pounds, which was a lot less than usual. The older boy checked the ball to Will and took up his defensive stance. Will smiled down at the ball in his hands for a moment before bringing his eyes back up to his opponent. He had his game face on now, and was ready to put on a show.

The game was almost over before it started. Without taking a single dribble, Will rose up and drained a long jump shot. The ball was out of his hands so fast Anthony didn’t even have enough time to try and block it. Anthony muttered to himself, “Damn, his release is quick.” Some of his teammates had gone one on one with Will before, and had warned him about his skills, but he didn’t understand the extent of Will’s talent until it was too late.

Now it was his turn to try and score. He tried to drive with his best move. He crossed over from his left to his right, then spun back to his left. Usually at worst he could shoot a fade away from here, but as he finished his spin he realized he no longer had the ball. Will was already waiting for him at the top of the key, calmly dribbling the ball, waiting for him to catch up. It didn’t matter. Anthony closed in on him, respecting his range, but Will easily slipped by him and casually laid the ball in.

Soon the score was 10 to 0, and Anthony was shaken. Not only was Will beating him, but he had yet to score a single bucket. Will had barely broken a sweat. After his first two baskets, he had made nine lay ups in a row. Anthony just couldn’t stay with him. What frustrated him the most was that unlike other games, Will was beating him solely by driving to the basket, and he wasn’t dunking. Usually Will showed off his entire repertoire, but not today. Anthony wasn’t good enough to show his entire game to, and now he knew it. A few minutes later, the dejected older boy walked off the court, his tail between his legs.

Will watched him leave with a blank expression on his face. He took no pleasure in beating a guy like Anthony. It never did anything for his ego, and always did horrible things to his opponent’s. He knew the look of defeat well; he’d been seeing it since he was six years old.

Will was now eighteen, but he had been coming to the park since he could remember. The park wasn’t much different from any other park in town. Will just happened to frequent this one because it was close to his house…and because it had a basketball court. Since he had been old enough to dribble a ball, he had spent his every spare moment playing ball. His happiest memories were of the times when his dad had brought him to the court to teach him how to play. Back then, the court was often deserted, giving them hours and hours to play horse or work on his skills. Will’s father was never a basketball expert, or even much of a player, but he knew his son loved it more than anything in the world, so he came to love it as well. It was his way of being close with his son, and Will loved him for it. Will’s room was covered in basketball posters and filled with his trophies and jerseys. If basketball were a food group, Will would eat it for every meal.

As much as Will loved the game, it always made him feel empty after playing. More than anything, he wished his father could see him play one more time. God, it still hurt every time he remembered he was gone. Basketball always reminded him of his father, which made him immensely happy and a little sad at the same time. It was a very bittersweet feeling, which often made Will a very melancholy young man. Often his mind would drift off and he would find himself wondering how long he had spaced out for.

This was one of those times. He found that he had no idea how long he had been shooting by himself. Much of the crowd had left, leaving a hand full of onlookers hoping for another glimpse of brilliance. Just then a voice brought him out of his reverie.

“Hey, you ever plan on missing one?”

It was Johnny, one of his teammates and closest friends. Will liked Johnny because he was always quick with a joke and a smile, but most importantly because he knew when to put his carefree attitude in check and be a true friend, someone who would stand by you during the tough times. Johnny knew Will well enough to know when he was thinking about his dad, and as long as he wasn’t in too poor a condition the best thing to do was generally to make him laugh and forget about it.

Johnny knew exactly what Will was going to say before the words were uttered. It was a part of their ritual greeting when they met at the park.

“I don’t know how to miss,” he replied in a seemingly flat tone, but his face could not hide the fact he was glad to see his buddy.

“Yeah, well just watch me for a few minutes, it’s amazing how much you might learn,” he said with a chuckle. On the contrary, Johnny was a pretty descent player, but he knew that he wasn’t really in Will’s league. On the court, he thought of Will as Batman, and himself as Robin; a 6 ft 8 in shot-blocking Robin.

“Whatever. Maybe if I threw you a descent pass you’d score once in awhile.”

“Nah, scoring isn’t my job. Normally my job would be to rebound, but if you keep shooting like that Coach won’t have any use for me at all.”

That brought a laugh out of Will. His face was completely different when he would laugh and smile, so different that some people almost didn’t recognize him when he did.

“No, you should know you’re real job is to stand in the paint and look intimidating in case the other team decides to kick my skinny ass.” In reality, Will wasn’t all that skinny, but next to Johnny he looked like it.

“Spoken like a true point guard: sucking up all the glory and letting his center do the dirty work.”

“That’s a center’s job, to do the dirty work.”

“Only when you have a team with a lousy center like me and an all-state point guard like you.”

“Someone has to do the dirty work, and if you don’t then I won’t be able to suck up all the glory, so I guess I better keep you around.”

“For someone who sucks up all the glory, you never act like it. Any other person with your skills would be fucking half the cheerleaders every night of the week and twice on game days.”

Johnny was right. Will never flaunted his talent the way other great players do. He was never arrogant, never made anyone think less of themselves. He never even talked trash on the court. Instead, he kept his mouth shut, his game face on, and dominated. He felt that not playing the game the way his father taught him to would be the same thing as disrespecting his father’s memory, and that is something he would not do. All Johnny really wanted was for Will to live a little. He knew Will had never had a girlfriend, and he knew why. Will was never truly happy, not in his heart, because part of him had died with his father. The trouble with pure, unrestrained love was how it left a rift in its absence. Johnny understood this, and had spent their childhood trying to snap Will out of the gloomy mindscape he was often in.

“Why don’t I fuck the rest of the cheerleaders while I’m at it?”

“Cause only half the cheerleaders are cute.”

They both had a good laugh over that one and for a moment Will forgot all about his troubles.

“You are aware that you could have any one of them, aren’t you?”

“If that’s what I wanted…”

“Why don’t you?”

“Because they only want me because I can ball.”

“And what’s wrong with that?”

“For most people, nothing is wrong with that.”

“But it doesn’t work for you?”

“Not for me.”

“Well that’s a shame, because I’ll never fuck half the cheerleaders, not even the ugly half. I was hoping you would, because then at least I could ask you what it was like.”

“Guess you’re shit out of luck, my man.”

They both looked at each other a moment, and laughed an easy laugh. No matter what, they’d always be friends.

“Hey, I’m starving. Why don’t you come back to my place. My Mom will be home soon and you know how much she likes to feed us.”

“Sounds good to me, I’ll race ya there.”

It was all a game to them, since Johnny knew he could never outrun Will. It was one of their many childhood rituals that they never gave up. It always made Will feel like they were still six years old, back when nothing bad could ever happen. Will’s mother, Donna, always loved to have Johnny over. They had always been friends, but after Will Sr. passed away they had become more like brothers. Donna knew Johnny was a good kid, and that he always looked out for Will. Johnny knew he always had a standing invitation at their house, so it was never in question as to whether it would be alright if he stayed for supper.

That summer Will started to let go of the past. He met Johnny at the park practically every day with the guys from the team. They were hoping that this fall Will would lead them to a state championship. They had lost in the final the year before to St. Matthews, a local school which had become the rival of Stanton High. They practiced constantly, and became something of a fixture at the park. Eventually the city even put bleachers next to the court, which only brought more people to watch the boys of Stanton High play. Most days there was a constant crowd on hand, but most people were really there to watch the local prodigy: Will. Most of the guys on the team knew that the only reason a lot of them came to watch was because of Will, but they didn’t mind. Will was a nice guy and a great teammate, and they knew he’d been through a lot. Plus, during the summer lots of cute girls were in the crowd which always made things a little more interesting.

Today was a scorcher in the park. The team had worked their ass off during the morning when it was cooler, and now decided they deserved to kick back and have an inter-squad scrimmage. Will and Johnny headed one side, while the other starters, Lucas, Andre, and Malcolm led the other. It seemed the best way to split the starters up since Will and Johnny always played together, and Andre and Malcolm were identical twins, so naturally they were inseparable. In fact, when they weren’t wearing jerseys, none of the others could tell them apart. It didn’t really matter; being twins they even played exactly alike. Sometimes it was almost scary how they worked together, as if they always knew what the other was thinking. As good as Will was, Andre and Malcolm (Dre and Mal to the team) were not the kind of players you could take lightly in a five on five game. They also talked a lot of trash on the court, but with the team it was always more like friendly ribbing.

“Yo Will, me and Dre gonna school you today,” said Malcolm. Will knew he was going to have to get his A game working today. In a five on five game, three starters against two almost always had the advantage, and Dre had a hot hand that day. He’d hit several long shots already, and Will knew he would have to shut him down. Johnny could hold his own in the paint, but the others couldn’t cover Mal and Dre. When Will slowed down Dre, Mal would get open. To make matters worse, after playing awhile Will wasn’t even sure who was Mal and who was Dre. I bet they wore identical black shorts on purpose, just to make life harder on him he thought.

The game was winding down, and the score was tight. Will faked a shot from the top of the key. Lucas bit on the fake, and Will drove to the whole looking for a score. Mal and Dre closed in on him in a double team. Will knew he couldn’t shoot over both of them, so he stopped short, spun 180 degrees and threw a no-look alley-oop over his head to Johnny. That brought the game to twenty a piece, next point would win it. Mal was getting frustrated. He was tired of always losing to Will, mostly because you couldn’t talk as much game when you lost.

“Afraid to put up the shot Will? Gotta have Johnny finish the play for ya? Next time you take it to the goal you betta come strong.”

Will knew Mal was trying to get inside his head and make him do something he wouldn’t normally do. Most of the time he would ignore that kind of comment, but today wasn’t a real game, it was just practice. As Lucas brought the ball up court Will lost his game face for a second and smiled. He was feeling feisty today and wanted to finish the game with a splash, and at Mal’s expense if he could help it.

Will shouted to Mal, “Twenty bucks and a round of sodas says I score the last bucket of the game dunking over you.”

Knowing Will was the shortest guy on the team, Mal couldn’t pass up that bet. Will might score the winning bucket, but on a dunk? Mal knew he could, but Will hardly ever dunked during games.

“Now you talkin boy, but you got the skills to back yo play?”

Will shot back, “let me show you.”

Before Mal could say anything else, Will sprang into action. He slapped the ball away from Lucas and took off towards the other end of the court. He beat Dre to the ball and sprinted to the basket. Mal was the only one left who could catch him. Knowing that Will would go up for the dunk, Mal sprang into the air to block his shot. Will jumped from the left side of the basket and saw Mal flying towards him. He knew Mal was bigger and could out jump him, so he would have no chance going directly at the basket. Will changed directions in midair, twisting his body and ducking under Mal’s outstretched arms as he flew under the basket and threw in a reverse on the right side of the hoop.

“Hoooolllly shit!” exclaimed Lucas. He was used to seeing Will do amazing things with the ball, but never had he seen him do something that acrobatic in the air. Mal and the others stood staring in disbelief as Will hung from the hoop with a silly grin on his face. The people watching from the stands weren’t quite so tongue tied. In fact, they were going nuts. Amongst them were some girls from the neighborhood that also went to Stanton. One of them was Luke’s sister, Rachel. Usually she came to watch her brother play, but lately she found herself watching Will more than him. She had also brought her friends Carrie, Stephanie, and Emma along to keep her company. They weren’t just there to keep her company though. Lucas had always had a thing for Emma, so being a good sister Rachel made sure to bring her. Carrie and Steph were on the girl’s team and hung out with the guys team all the time. On game nights they would usually head over to the diner together and relax after their games. They were all hoping that tonight would be like one of those nights.

Will finally dropped from the rim and said, “hurry back from 7/11, I’m thirsty.”

Mal could only shake his head. “That’s cool. The show was worth twenty bucks even if it was a little short.”

The guys all laughed at Mal’s good nature and gave Will a pat on the back. Dre went with Mal to grab the drinks and gave Will a knowing look as he followed his brother. Will wasn’t quite sure what that was all about until he felt a tap on his bare shoulder.

“Hey Will, you looked terrific out there.” It was Rachel of course. As confident as Will was on the court, he always froze up around girls and Rachel in particular. He never knew what to say around her. They had known each other ever since they were kids. Back then she was just Luke’s annoying older sister, but now she was 5 ft 7 of gorgeous legs, wavy blond hair, and penetrating bright blue eyes. Any of the other guys would kill to be in Will’s position, having Rachel vying for his attention, but more often than not he was oblivious.

“Uh, thanks Rach. I guess all the practice is paying off.”

“I know, I come to watch you guys play like practically every day.”

“You do?”

“Uh, yeah, you haven’t noticed the cute blonde sitting in the bleachers?”

“What?”

“I meant me dumbass!”

Rachel wasn’t mad, she was just teasing him. Sometimes Will was so slow to pick things up it frustrated her so much she thought she’d have to throw herself at him to get his attention.

“Right, sorry,” he said with a nervous laugh.

“Hey, the girls and I were thinking of heading over to the diner later tonight. Why don’t you tell the guys to go home and get cleaned up and meet us over there, say around seven?”

“I don’t know Rachel, I’m kind of beat, it’s been so hot out today.”

“Oh come on, it’ll be fun, I promise. I’ll wear something skimpy and you can buy me a milkshake and pretend to be my boyfriend, to keep all the other guys from getting any ideas.”

“Yeah, as long as we’re only pretending, because you know how mad Luke would be if we weren’t.”

She knew he was right, but she didn’t care anymore. Lucas was a good brother, but sometimes he got so protective of her it drove her crazy. She had to keep things with Will under control to give Lucas some time to get used to the idea. Otherwise, things might get really complicated in a hurry.

“Don’t you worry about my brother. I’ll take care of him. Besides, we’re only pretending, remember?”

“Why do I have this feeling you’re going to get me in trouble?”

“Because you have good instincts, and I’m the best kind of trouble you could get yourself into.”

Now Rachel was really turning on her charms. She held his hands in hers and looked up at him, bringing her face almost close enough to kiss him before whispering, “Don’t keep me waiting, k?”

“Yeah, sure, I’ll see you there at seven.”

Will wasn’t sure when Mal and Dre had gotten back, or how much they had seen, but from the look on Dre’s face, they had seen more than enough to give him a hard time.

“Man, when are you going to take her out? You know she’s waiting for you right?”

Will looked past Dre and could see Lucas giving him a dirty look. He knew this was not the time or the place, so he chose his words carefully.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Dre.”

Mal joined in. “I think you know exactly what my bro is talkin bout, and he’s right dog. Why else would someone that hot not have a boyfriend?”

“You’re guess is as good as mine guys. Listen, I’ll see all of you at the diner tonight, right?”

They all agreed. Will left with Johnny, but today they took a leisurely stroll back to Johnny’s place. They were too tired to run, and the sun was still high enough to make the air seem stifling. Will was lost in his own thoughts, as usual. They walked for a good ten minutes before Johnny couldn’t stand it any longer, he just had to know.

“You know Mal and Dre are right Will. Rachel’s been after you for awhile now.”

“You think so?”

“Will, I know so, everybody does. When are you going to join the club and wake up?”

“I don’t know Johnny…”

“Look Will, remember when we were talking about the cheerleaders?”

“Haha, yeah, what’s your point?”

“Well, we always joke about the cheerleaders and stuff, but Rachel’s different. I mean, I know she’s hot, you can’t help but notice that. But Rachel is a really nice girl too. Is there some reason I don’t know about that you won’t date her?”

“Come on Johnny, it’s just weird since we’ve known each other since we were kids. Plus, you know Luke would kill me.”

“Screw Lucas man. I know he’s our two guard and all, but she’s going to date someone sooner or later, and I’m thinking it may as well be you. Think of it this way, would you rather it be you, or that dick from St Matthews?”

“You mean Scott Hansen?”

“Yup.”

“She wouldn’t.”

“You know the Hansens are friends with their family, and Scott makes it a point to talk to her every Sunday after mass. You also know it doesn’t hurt that he’s got some game.”

“I can take him any time on the court.”

“Yeah, I know, I’m just sayin, no girl will wait forever, not even Rachel. You hearing me?”

“Yeah, I hear you Johnny.”

“Good. You know I’m just watching out for you right?”

“Yeah, I know man. Let’s talk about something else. I’m sick of talking about Rachel.”

“Alright, what do you want to talk about?”

“I dunno…”

“You know what I heard the other day?”

“What?”

“Carrie was telling me that someone on the girl’s team heard there was a new girl moving into town. You remember the house across the street from Luke’s?”

“You mean the one with the for sale sign in front?”

“That’s the one. Looks like they’ll be moving in there. Word’s out that she’s a basketball player, and she’s really good. Like you, like getting scouted by schools and stuff.”

“That’d be cool. I mean, the girl’s team needs some help.”

“Man, I don’t care about the girl’s team, I just hope she’s a hottie.”

“Always thinking with your dick, aren’t you Johnny?”

“Man, is there any other way?”

They both laughed. Johnny was your basic teenage guy with raging hormones after all.

“I guess you’ll have to ask Lucas to keep an eye out for her, check her out and see if she’s cute.”

“I don’t know, might be hard for him to take his eyes off Emma.”

“You might be right.”

“Hey, that gives me an idea.”

Will stopped in his tracks. Usually when Johnny had an idea it really meant that he had thought of a way to get Will to do something he would regret. He would have to do everything in his power to persuade Johnny to forget about whatever he had in mind.

“OH NO Johnny, I don’t care what you’re plan is, I don’t want any part of it.”

“Come on Will, hear me out. Besides, if you don’t go along with it I’m just gonna do it anyway, and you can’t do anything about it. Look, you may as well give in and try to make the best of it. So, you in or are you out?”

Will sighed in defeat. He knew how this was going to end. Johnny never stopped once he got an idea in his head.

“Alright, fill me in.”

“Tonight at the diner, all we have to do is get Emma to keep Luke occupied, you know, distract him. That way he’ll never notice you and Rachel hooking up.”

“Wooo, slow down man. Who said that Rachel and I are hooking up tonight?”

“She practically came out and said it earlier, weren’t you listening?”

“Yeah, you know I was. But I don’t think Emma will go for Lucas, him being a year younger than the rest of us and all.”

“Don’t worry about it. She can flirt with him for one night. In fact, I’m sure she’ll be glad to help. Emma’s a really cool chick, and I know she’d help if it meant you and Rachel finally getting together.”

“It’s not just the thing with Luke Johnny.”

“I know. Look Will, you gotta go for it sooner or later. If you don’t, you’ll regret it.”

“We’ll see what happens, alright? That good enough for you?”

“I’ll take that. Come on, let’s hustle. I think I can smell my Mom’s cooking from here.” They both realized how hungry they were and in no time were sitting down in Johnny’s back yard watching his parents fuss over the barbecue. Will always liked being at Johnny’s house. Things were always as they should be here, everyone got along so well. It was like they were some TV family come to life. They had practically adopted Will as another son after his father passed away. Will even got along with Johnny’s kid sister Anna, mostly because she worshipped the ground they walked on. After a good meal and getting cleaned up they were ready to meet the others at the diner.

“Don’t stay out too late kids. Will, if it’s getting late make sure to call your mother and let her know you’ll be staying the night here, okay?”

“Yes Mrs. Walker, I’ll be sure to do that.”

“Okay, you boys have a good time, and have Lucas and Rachel say hello to their mother for me.”

“We will,” the boys answered in unison as they went out the door. They could have asked to take the car, but the diner wasn’t too far away and the evening air was nice in contrast to the scorching temperatures during the day, so they walked instead. Will liked to have his quiet time to collect his thoughts, so Johnny agreed.

Soon they had made there way to the diner and saw that Rachel, Lucas, and the other girls were already there. They had gotten the biggest booth in the corner of the restaurant, making plenty of room for everyone. Rachel jumped up to greet them once she saw them coming through the door. As always, she looked great without crossing the line and being cheap or trashy. That’s what all the guys loved about her: she was adorable yet respectful enough to take home to meet their mothers. Tonight she was wearing a tight pair of denim shorts that hugged her heart shaped ass, along with a simple white tank top that showed just a bit of her young cleavage. She was only a b-cup, but her tits had the firmness that only young women can have. Overall, her body was slim and proportional, with just the right amount of curves to draw attention from the guys.

“Hi Will, come and sit next to me. Some guys are already staring at me, so you better make sure they know I’m not available.”

Will couldn’t say no to her. Even though he knew she didn’t mean what she said, he played along anyway. Besides, pretending Rachel was his girlfriend wasn’t exactly unpleasant. Soon they all settled into an easy conversation, and Will forgot about being nervous or the possibility of taking things further with Rachel. Of course, he had a little help. Johnny had made sure that he got to sit next to Emma. At some point he must have been able to whisper his plan to Emma, because her attitude toward Lucas changed dramatically at some point. Soon Lucas was hanging on her every word. She was laying it on so thick Johnny was afraid he wouldn’t be able to hold in his laughter. Carrie and Steph noticed things weren’t quite right, and quickly figured out what was going on.

“Just the man I wanted to see. And it looks like half the team is here with you…”

Everyone turned to see Coach Dan Johnson and Coach Diane Riggs, Stanton’s head basketball coaches. However, all of the attention soon fell on their companions: the most stunning red head the guys had ever seen, and an older couple who presumably were her parents.

They all said hello to the two teachers/coaches in unison.

Coach Riggs started the introductions. “This is Mr. and Mrs. Stallworth and their daughter Danielle. They just moved into town, actually right near Lucas and Rachel if I remember correctly. As some of you may have heard, Danielle will be trying out for the girl’s basketball team this fall. What you may not have heard is that she was unanimously voted player of the year in New Jersey last season.”

“Wow, cool!” said Carrie, who was obviously impressed.

“My thoughts exactly,” echoed coach Riggs with a smile.

Coach Johnson threw in his two cents, adding, “We’ve also heard that over the summer you boys have been practicing down at the north side park. Will, I was hoping that you might be able to spare some time to show Danielle around, maybe practice with her a bit, help her get settled in, you know what I mean?”

“Sure coach, I follow you.”

“Whadda ya say, can you do your old coach a favor and look after Danielle for me?”

Will could never refuse Coach Johnson anything. He had always been an important person in Will’s life. Besides, as you may have noticed, Will wasn’t much good at saying no to anyone.

“Uh, sure coach, I guess that would be okay.”

“Thanks a lot Will. I just want you to know that the Stallworth’s and I really appreciate your help too. Why don’t we leave Danielle with you kids so Coach Johnson and I can talk with her parents and not boor her to death,” said Coach Riggs.

The guys all agreed enthusiastically that that was a great idea. Rachel, however, wasn’t so sure. She couldn’t help but notice how gorgeous Danielle was. She wasn’t just cute, or pretty, but was super-model flawless, head turning beautiful, the kind of beauty that left men speechless and drew dirty looks from every woman in the room. And to make matters worse, she had the most fantastic tits Rachel had ever soon. She wasn’t exactly showing them off, but the top she was wearing plunged in a V in front, and tented out enough to make it fall short of her waist, exposing her midriff. To Rachel’s horror, she immediately plunked her shapely behind right next to Will, a little closer than Rachel was comfortable with.

“Hi Will, it’s nice to finally meet the guy the Coaches have been talking about for the last hour. They both tell me you’re the best player on the team.”

Will forgot how to speak. It was as if he had swallowed his own tongue, but was in too big a shock to care. Even her voice was sexy, the way she said every word it was as if she were trying to make her mouth form sensual shapes as she spoke them. Johnny could see embarrassment from a mile away and jumped in to save him.

“He’s too modest to say it out loud, but yes, he’s the best player on the team, and probably the state. Don’t let him tell you otherwise, it’s all lies.”

As shell shocked as Will was, he hated when anyone, especially Johnny, talked about his game that way, and it was enough to get him talking again.

“Come on Johnny, I don’t know about that…”

Everyone at the table gave him that look they always did at times like these, the one that says “shut up, we all know you’re amazing so quit being modest and denying it.”

Carrie couldn’t help but add, “Will doesn’t like to talk about how great he is, so we have to do it for him. You’d never know it if you never saw him play, but he’s been scouted by virtually every major university in the country already.”

“Carrie, come on, give me a break.”

“Well, you must be doing SOMETHING right to have friends like these say such nice things about you,” said Danielle. Once again, Will was stuck in speechless land. Danielle knew what he was feeling. She was used to having people stare at her without speaking, so she broke the ice for him.

“So, everyone tells me you’re a point guard.”

“Uhh, yeah, that’s right.”

“Wow, me too.”

“Really, that’s great.”

Rachel’s hopes for the evening were sinking fast. She had started the evening with such high hopes for her and Will, and now out of the blue this girl shows up and suddenly she’s forgotten. She was so deflated she couldn’t do anything but watch as she felt Will’s interest in her slipping away.

“I bet you could really help me with my game. I’ve had some scouts come to a few of my games, but not from the best schools yet. Maybe with your help I could get better, maybe enough to have a few more schools give me a chance.”

Now that the conversation had shifted to basketball, Will found himself back in his element. Wow, a girl that loved basketball almost as much as he did? How cool is that? And she’s, she’s…amazing.

“Yeah, I know what you mean. It can be pretty intense when the scouts come to watch one of your games. I’d be happy to help out in any way I can. If you want, you can meet us for practice at the park tomorrow around 11:00.”

“That would be great, I’d love to! Is it far from here?”

“Not at all.”

“Would you mind showing me where it is? It’s still light out, and I just know my parents are going to be here awhile. Maybe we could walk to the park, so I won’t get lost tomorrow?”

Will was once again in a situation where he couldn’t say no, nor did he want to. He quickly agreed. Danielle said a quick goodbye to her parents, and soon she and Will were waiving to the others as they headed down the street and out of sight.

Rachel wanted to die. As soon as Danielle showed up, he hadn’t given her a single look or spoken a word to her. The thought of missing her chance with him made her feel sick to her stomach. A lump had formed in her throat, and her eyes were welling up with tears.

Mal and Dre walked in the door and noticed two things immediately: First, Will was no where to be seen, and two, Rachel looked like someone had just run over her puppy, and Rachel didn’t own a puppy. Carrie and Steph filled them in on what had happened with Danielle. The twins agreed that they should take Rachel and the girls home. Lucas wasn’t happy about having his evening with Emma cut short, but after seeing how upset Rachel was he didn’t object. After splitting up with the others Johnny thought he should go find Will and have a talk with him. He loved Rachel like a sister, but more than that he was curious about what was going on between Will and Danielle right about now. He set off towards the park, hoping to find them. Then Johnny came up with another one of his ideas. He had to find them before they made it back to Danielle’s house. Will was a descent guy, and would certainly not let Danielle walk home by herself, and she certainly didn’t seem like she would object to something like that. Living across the street from each other, it would be difficult to keep Rachel from seeing something she might not want to see, but Johnny had to try.

When he got to the park the sun was already almost out of sight. He looked everywhere in the park but didn’t see anyone other than a few kids at the playground. He figured he was too late, they’d already left. He whipped out his cell phone and dialed Dre as fast as he could. Thank God for cell phones!

Dre picked up almost immediately.

“Yo, Big-J, what’s up my light skinned brotha?”

“Dre, have you dropped off Rach and Luke yet?”

“Not yet, but we almost there, why man?”

“Dude, I’m at the park and I can’t find Will. You can bet he’s walkin that Danielle chick home, and she moved in across the street from Rach and Luke. If Rach sees them making out or somethin when you drop her off, well, I don’t have to tell you that the shit will hit the fan…”

“Damn J, no one told me THAT’S where they were headed.”

“Dre, you gotta do something man.”

“Shit, J man I gotta go, the shit’s hittin the fan RIGHT NOW…”

Johnny took off at a dead run for Rachel’s house. Now all he could do was play damage control.

Walking to the park with Danielle had been uncomfortable at first, but Will soon found that they had some things in common. It was cool that they played the same position. She knew exactly how it felt to have the pressure on you during big games. She knew what it was like to have to be the leader of the team, to make sure all of her teammates got involved. He couldn’t get over how great it was to meet a girl (other than Carrie and Steph) who was so interested in basketball. In reality, all they really talked about was basketball, but to Will that was perfect.

“So, I guess this is the park.”

“Yeah, nothing special. But the court here is regulation.”

“So that’s why you practice here?”

“Nah, I play here because it’s close to my house…and because this is where my dad taught me to play.” As always, once Will thought about his dad he withdrew into himself. Not even someone as beautiful as Danielle could snap him out of it once the ball got rolling.

Danielle noticed right away that something was bothering him. She didn’t even need to use her woman’s intuition, it was written all over him.

“Hey, are you alright Will?”

“Yeah, sure, I’m fine.”

“Well, I could be wrong but you don’t look like you’re fine. Did I do something wrong? Was it something I said?”

“No, it’s just that, I was thinking about my dad. He taught me how to play here, but he passed away years ago.”

“Oh Will, I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay, really I’m fine. Look, it’s getting dark out. I should probably walk you home.”

“Oh, okay.” Danielle was disappointed to be going home so early, but she could tell that nothing was going to salvage this evening so she agreed. Hopefully things wouldn’t be awkward with Will later, and now she knew not to bring up the subject of his father.

When they got to Danielle’s house, the lights were still out. That meant her parents were not home yet. Under other circumstances she might have invited him in to hang out for a bit, but she knew that this was not the right time.

“Well, thanks for showing me the park. I’ll be sure to be there tomorrow.”

“Okay, yeah, I’ll see you there.”

“Will?”

“Yeah…”

Danielle held his face in her hands and brought his lips down to hers, placing a gentle feather like kiss on his lips, the kind of gentle kiss that gives a glimpse of what a girl can offer without giving away all her secrets.

“Everything will be okay Will, I promise.” Without another word she turned and went inside. Will stood there for a moment taking in what just happened before making his way down the street.

Down the street, Rachel stared off into the night, feeling a numbness and pain deep inside she had never experienced before. So this is what a broken heart feels like, she thought to herself. It would be so much easier if Danielle was some kind of slutty bitch, or if Will was a liar and a cheater. Then she could hate them and be done with it, but neither was any of those things. Instead, she covered her mouth with her hands to cover the sobs that were threatening to spill out, and let the others lead her away so Will wouldn’t know that she had seen everything. They waited for Will to head down the block until he was out of sight before taking Rachel to her house. She was still sniffling a bit but had calmed down enough that the others felt alright about leaving her.

When Johnny got to Rachel’s house Mal and Dre were coming out the door, and by the looks on their faces things hadn’t gone well.

“Guys, what the hell happened?”

The twins answered in unison, “You know what happened.”

“How bad was it?”

Mal answered, “She saw it all man. You called, we got to the end of her block, she saw them attached at the lips, we led her in the other direction so Will wouldn’t see us, then he took off.”

“Shit, this is so fucked up. How the hell could Will do this?”

“Come on man, can you blame the guy? From what I saw of her, that chick is stacked. You gonna tell me that you woulda been able to say no ta that ass?”

“I don’t know Dre. I don’t have Rachel pining away for me, so it’s kinda different.”

“Amen. So what’s the plan J-man?”

“I dunno guys. We just have to make sure that Will, Danielle, and Rachel aren’t in the same place at the same time. Other than that, not much we can do except try to watch after Rachel.”

“Cool Johnny. What you gonna do now?”

“I’m gonna go home, and tomorrow I’m talking to Will about all this.” And that’s what he did.

The next morning Johnny made sure to get to the park before anyone else. He wanted to shoot around for a bit to clear his head. He didn’t really know what he was going to say to Will, but he knew they needed to talk.

Just as Johnny was about to take another shot, another ball flew over his head and swished through the chain net. He turned around to see Will standing at half court with a smile on his face.

As always, Johnny said, “You ever plan on missing one?”

“I don’t know how to miss.”

“Did you just shoot that from half court?”

“Yeah.”

“Show off.”

That brought a smile to Will’s face, and he and Johnny had a laugh over it. Will looked different to Johnny. His smile seemed easier, almost like he couldn’t stop himself from smiling. He had this dumb grin on his face as he took each of his shots. Johnny recognized that look. It had been on Luke’s face last night when Emma was flirting with him. It was the same look every guy gets the morning after he gets some action. But with Will there was more. He just looked more, alive. He hadn’t looked like that since his dad died.

“You sure seem happy today.”

“That’s cause I am happy.”

“Anything you want to share with your old buddy?”

“Like what?”

“Like maybe you got to play some tonsil hockey with a certain red head…”

Will stopped what he was doing and looked at Johnny in shock. “How’d you know?”

Now it was Johnny’s turn to look shocked. “Will, I’ve known you since we were three years old, and I know when something is going on with you. You’re walking around the court with this shit-eating grin on your face like the cat that ate the canary, and you think I’m not going to be curious as hell?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Will, you may as well have a neon sign on your back that says, ‘I got lucky’ in bright pink.”

They both had a good laugh and got back to practicing. Johnny felt pretty good about the whole thing, almost to the point that he forgot about how much this hurt Rachel. He knew how hard this would be for her, but he couldn’t help but feel happy for Will. Neither said a word for awhile until they saw some of the other players walking towards the court.

Out of the blue, Johnny said, “Just tell me one thing: How great was it?” “Do you even have to ask?”

That was enough for Johnny. He knew where this was heading, or so he thought. Once the twins and Lucas showed up, not another word about last night was said. They settled into practice easily, as if nothing was amiss, and truthfully at the time nothing was. That quickly changed when a certain red head showed up.

“Hi guys, sorry I’m a little late.”

Mal and Dre had the exact same goofy grin on their face. The other guys knew what that look meant: there was a possibility of fireworks.

“Hi, I’m Malcom, and that’s my brother Andre. Guess we just missed you and Will at the diner last night.”

“Nice to meet you guys. Thanks for letting me practice with all of you.”

Dre couldn’t help but add, “Yeah, I’m sure Will could show you some of his MOVES, ain’t that right bro?”

Will, as usual, was caught like a dear in headlights. Not wanting practice to completely deteriorate, Johnny quickly changed the subject.

“What position do you play Danielle?”

“I play the point.”

“Cool. Why don’t we have a quick scrimmage and see how things work out. It’ll give Will a chance to see how you play, especially since he plays the point too.” To even things up, Danielle was paired with the twins, and Lucas went to Johnny and Will’s side. The guys soon discovered that Danielle could hold her own in most situations. She was definitely a stronger player than all of the bench warmers on the guys team, which a few of them found out the hard way. She had no hope of shooting over the taller boys, but she had a very quick first step and passed the ball better than anyone else on the court besides Will. Mal and Dre quickly stopped thinking of her as a girl and started treating her like their regular point guard. She was routinely throwing them passes that set them up for easy buckets, which will make just about anyone popular with their teammates.

Soon it was noon, and the kids took a much deserved brake in the shade. Instead of running to 7/11 for drinks, the twins had brought a cooler full of water and Gatorade for everyone. Danielle found that the guys were really accepting of her practicing with them as soon as they discovered she wasn’t completely helpless on the court. Dre and Mal were so happy playing with her they actually started praising her play in front of the others.

“Damn Will, you better watch yo self. If coach sees her game, he might make her cut her hair and dress butch so she can start for our team,” said Dre.

Danielle laughed her musical laugh. Will thought it was incredibly sexy. She replied sarcastically, “I don’t know, how would Coach Johnson hide these?” she said as she lifted her cleavage enticingly. Will had to stifle a groan as he watched her cup her tits playfully. He had never been around a girl who turned him on the way Danielle did.

Mal agreed with his brother, “I don’t know, but what I do know is girl’s got game. You can dish me the rock any time, fo sho.”

“I’d be happy too. Besides, I can’t exactly throw alley oops to the girls.”

They all seemed to be getting along really well. The guys really enjoyed having a girl around like Danielle. Besides being eye candy, she was flirty and fun, and could play ball with them without leaving one side handicapped. Over the summer she practiced with the boys almost every day, and it showed in how she played. She was amazed how much she learned just by playing opposite Will. Each day he would reveal a little more of his game to her, showing her another way to approach the game. Soon she was throwing passes to back door cutters she never would have seen before, and getting the weaker players involved by setting them up for easy scores. On some occasions Carrie and Steph would come to the park to watch or play a bit too, but it wasn’t the same. They had a hard time keeping up with the guys, but it wasn’t just that. They were always nice enough, but they kept a certain distance between Danielle and themselves. She had really been hoping to make some friends on the girls team before school started, and was a little frustrated that after weeks of having known each other they had never once invited her to do anything after the practices at the park. Not knowing what to do, she decided she would have to ask one of the guys if something was going on.

After a particularly grueling workout one day, they all sat under the oak tree near the court next to the cooler sharing a drink and reminiscing about their summers. As the sun started to dip lower, the group slowly started to dwindle. Soon all of the others had left save Danielle and the twins. Since they were usually on the same team, Danielle had built a closer relationship with them than most of the other boys, even Will or Johnny. She figured this was her opportunity to see if they knew anything.

“Guys, can I ask you a question?”

As they so often did, they answered in unison, “Yeah, sure.”

“Did I do something to make Carrie and Steph mad at me? I mean, they aren’t mean to me or anything, but I just figured we’d kind of be friends by now, but we’re not.”

Mal and Dre looked at each other a moment, trying to decide how much they should reveal. They didn’t want to say anything that would upset any of the others, but they thought Danielle had a right to know why she was getting the cold shoulder.

“Look, Carrie and Steph like you, and like you said, they haven’t been mean to you or anything.”

“I know, but I know there’s something they’re not telling me. I mean, if I were in their shoes I would have invited me to do something girly by now, just to get to know each other. I mean, we are going to be teammates, and school starts in like a week, I just don’t get it!” She was so frustrated she could scream.

The twins looked at each other again, and Danielle knew they were holding out on her.

“Come on guys, I KNOW the two of you know something, it’s written all over both of you. Would you PLEASE just tell me whatever it was that I did, no matter how horrible you think it is. I don’t care, I just have to know. If you don’t, I’m going to be doomed to having all guy friends, and not that I don’t love hanging out with you guys, but there are just some things a girl’s gotta do with other girls.”

Dre couldn’t stand seeing her like this anymore. Before Malcolm could cut him off he started to spill everything.

“Look babe, here’s the down low. You remember Rachel?”

“Yeah, she’s Luke’s sister right?”

“Right.”

“What does she have to do with this?”

“You remember the night you met everyone at the diner?”

“Of course, but I don’t see where this is leading…”

“Well, Rachel’s had a thing for Will for a long time, and I mean a LONG time, no what I’m sayin? She used to come watch him play every day. Will’s too shy to make the first move with any girl, so she decided if anything was gonna happen she would have to do it. She’d finally worked up the courage to move in on him. Everything was going according to plan. Then you showed up.”

Suddenly everything fell into place. She had sat next to Will, and they had left together.

“And then she saw you and Will going at it in front of your place…”

Oh God, she had almost forgotten about that. She had kissed Will before going inside, and Rachel had seen the whole thing. She knew how upset she would have been if she was in Rachel’s shoes, and Carrie and Steph were two of Rachel’s best friends. They were keeping their distance out of loyalty to Rachel because she had supposedly stolen her man!

“Guys, it was just one kiss! It wasn’t like we were making out or anything. We were talking and he mentioned his dad, and he got all sad. I felt so bad for bringing it up, he looked like a heart broken little boy and I wanted to make him feel better.”

The twins exchanged glances again, communicating in their secret way. It had been going on way too much lately, and Danielle was getting fed up with it. She just wanted this nightmare to be over.

“Look guys, I had no idea, I swear. I never would have kissed him if I’d known. We haven’t even kissed again, not even once, and we’ve never gone on a date. If you don’t believe me, ask Will.”

“Alright, we believe you, but that doesn’t matter to Carrie and Steph. What they care about is how Rachel’s been miserable ever since you showed up.”

“I mean, I like Will, but not that way, you know what I mean? Look, the two of you know me as well as anyone else around here. I know I can be a flirt, but don’t you think that if I was trying to hook up with Will I would have turned it up a bit by now? You guys KNOW I’m not exactly shy, and it’s not like a flirt exclusively with Will or anything.”

The twins knew she was right. Danielle was a nice girl who happened to make an honest mistake with the wrong guy.

To clarify things one last time, Dre asked, “So, you’re not into Will at all?”

“No, I mean I like him, but I don’t want to date him.”

Dre hung his head for a moment in thought. There was one last thing they hadn’t brought up yet, and it was probably the most important part. He had to check with his brother to make sure he was okay with letting the last cat out of the bag. Mal looked over at him, and nodded his head once. That was all Dre needed.

“There’s one last thing you should know.”

“What?”

“You’re not gonna like this, but you gotta know. You remember what Will was like after you brought up his dad?”

“Yeah, it was awful, but what does that have to do with this?”

“That’s how he’s been for the last eight years, ever since his dad died. You’re the only thing we ever seen that makes him happy. If you tell him how you feel, I bet he goes back to the way he was.”

“Shit!” The guys snapped to attention. It was the first time they had ever heard Danielle curse. “So what am I supposed to do? I can’t just keep leading him on…how am I going to tell him?”

“Hell if I know. Look, that’s all the help we can be. No matter what you do someone’s gettin hurt, so may as well get it over with, you hearin me?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Just don’t mess him up too bad. We’ll make sure Johnny knows what’s up. He’s Will’s best friend, and he’ll have to pick up the pieces after this goes down.”

“Okay. Listen guys, this whole thing is giving me a headache. Do you think you could give me a lift home?”

The twins nodded, and without a word they grabbed the cooler and headed to the car. They all left the park with heavy hearts. As they pulled up to Danielle’s house, they looked upon her with sympathy. They knew it wasn’t’ going to be easy, and they also knew it wasn’t going to be pretty afterwards. On their way home, alone with each other, they came to the same conclusion. They said aloud at the same time, “Damn, it’s gonna be a loooooong season.”